Final Learning Letter

Dear Dr. Sean,

 

            After reading your syllabus in January, I was apprehensive in going forward with your class. I knew that I was going to be very busy, and would have to forego my social life for ten weeks. While it was very difficult to do, looking back, I am extremely proud of what I’ve accomplished, and experienced in your class.

            I loved the book talks. My Amazon wish list is now gigantic! It was so great hearing bout so many different kinds of novels. I will need to be well-read in a variety of genres so I may recommend appropriate books for my different student’s interests. I was introduced to all kinds of new books. So many, in fact, that I will be devouring young adult novels all spring and summer long, and will still not have made it through my wish list. What I loved most about the book talks was the in depth summaries. I can always read about best-selling novels online, but the blurbs only give a bare bones summary. You don’t get a sense of the book and the author’s writing style in those five sentences online. It was nice to get detailed descriptions of books so I knew which ones I really wanted to read.

            The mini-lessons were fun as well. It was interesting to teach such a short lesson on a novel. There were so many options and challenges to think about. It made lesson planning a bit more stressful, but I enjoyed the challenge. I feel spoiled because my practicum is at a school where the English language arts class is a block period, five days a week. I get so used to having to fill up so much time, that I do not realize how much more effort it takes to plan a good, yet short lesson plan. The mini-lessons really helped me think about how I would want to teach a novel to my whole class. My practicum placement was just finishing up their class-read novel when I arrived. They haven’t done one since, so it was helpful to see so many different lesson types.

            The three week unit plan is my second child. I literally worked all quarter on that binder. Obviously, it was a struggle, and more difficult for me because I am still learning how to plan and think like an effective teacher. But I have never had a class, during my time in the education program that has forced me too really plan, like certified teachers must do on a daily basis. I’ve gotten some very helpful information, and training over the past two years, but this class has filled some teaching gaps for me. I have written dozens of TPAs, although it feels like hundreds, and created assessments; however, I have not had to create lesson plans with effective summative assessments. Everything has always been in chunks, TPAs in one class, tests in another, and management strategies in yet another, but having a class that asked me to put all of that together helped make me finally feel ready to lead my own classroom.

            I have been building my own teaching philosophy over the past few years. I have been trying to decide what types of behaviors and expectations I want to be part of my classroom norms, and the types of teaching methods I want use with my students. It was great to be exposed to more teaching strategies from Kelly Gallagher and Chris Tovani. I like both of their teaching styles, and the fact that they both work with students who are considered at-risk. To read about their successes, with students who struggle in English classes no less, makes me feel more confident about using their management strategies in my own class. Gallagher’s Readicide may not have been my favorite book of his, but I appreciate his view on teaching novels in the classroom. I have definitely been a part of a class that over-taught the novel. Forced to complete an insane amount of worksheets, any interest I had in the novel, died. So when I was writing my unit plan, I tried to follow guidelines Gallagher suggested. His novel helped me think about I could teach, using a novel, without killing the very essence of the story.

            Overall, I am thoroughly excited to be completing winter quarter in one piece. It has been a long ten weeks. I have been forced to work hard, all quarter long. I know that sounds bad to say, and I really do try to do my best in every class, but I really had to battle this quarter. And, I am finally beginning to feel like a professional educator. I feel like I have come in to my own during my practicum. I am more confident, and I feel ready to be a teacher. I am excited to continue down this path, and I have you to thank. So thank you for preparing me to be a better teacher.

 

Nicky Jones

In the Name of God

            Paula Jolin’s In the Name of God is a powerful book. I like how she wrote the story from the perspective of a devout Muslim. It is no secret that in this day and age, it is difficult to be Muslim. There are a lot of prejudices against that religion, and I appreciate her bravery to tell the other side of the battle against the United States. Obviously Muslims are as passionate about their beliefs as Americans, otherwise there would not be this war. It was very interesting to read how Nadia progressed from simply being devout in her religion, to being an extremist. I feel like that is how most extremists are created, by charismatic people taking advantage of naïve people. Jolin’s novel is a great way to show young readers the danger of getting caught up in your own opinion, without allowing yourself to see other points of view, to be willing to understand others. Nadia ends up pushing her family away, and almost commits the worst mortal sin. Thankfully, her brother’s appearance at the hotel shocks Nadia enough to make her open her eyes, and realize the horror of her situation.

            I think this book could be a difficult sell to my young readers. While the message is good, it is not the most exciting story. The story is full of uncertainty, angst, confusion, and anger, which all of my seventh graders experience, but the plot is slow. There are a few scenes, like when Fowzi gets taken, that are suspenseful and intriguing, but for the most part, this is a story about Nadia’s battle with herself. The ending, while very happy, seems so unfinished. Nadia is being led out of a hotel with a bomb strapped to her body, wouldn’t her brother feel that? And what exactly did she do with the bomb? Considering that I felt jilted at the end, I know my seventh graders would throw a fit.

Maus

            Art Spiegelman’s Maus is amazing. His choice to create a graphic novel to tell his father’s survival story is perfect for reaching younger audiences. Almost every seventh grader in all of my classes has read this story, and they all enjoyed it as well! I think Spiegelman made a very clever choice using mice and cats to portray the Jews and Nazis. By distinguishing the difference between the two groups of people in such an obvious way, younger readers can more easily comprehend the complexity of the issues that lead to World War II. In our culture, cats and mice fighting, is a well-known feud. We don’t think anything of it, we are just reminded of Tom and Jerry, and their crazy hijinks. That makes it easier for students to translate the ingrained hate between those animals, to the hate that Hitler inspired in his Nazis. The cartoons also make it easier to accept the violence that occurred. The content of Spiegelman’s comic is hard to face, but it is something that can’t be ignored either. Spiegelman’s delivery of his father’s harrowing escape from death is perfect to introduce facts of World War II.

            I would teach this novel in English, social studies, or history class. There are endless possibilities for teaching this graphic novel. In English, it would be great to analyze his style and have students create their own mini-graphic novel. It would also be beneficial to discuss with students why Spiegelman chose to portray his father’s story in this style, especially during a narrative unit. Style, point of view, and framing are just a few of the techniques that Spiegelman uses in Maus. Social studies classes could analyze the impact of World War II on the economy in Germany, and areas where there were large Jewish communities. I think the fact that this graphic novel is about a Jewish man surviving the Holocaust, is reason enough to use it for a history unit. Plus, it is a graphic novel, and a nice supplemental text for any class to use.

Edgar Allan Poe

            When it comes to Edgar Allan Poe, I am fan. His stories are wonderfully, and terrifyingly fantastic. He is a truly entertaining writer, who makes murder and mayhem exciting. I appreciate his eloquent writing style. He is loquacious, almost to a fault. His short stories and poems are ideal for teaching sensory/imagery writing. While students may not always appreciate the wordiness of Poe’s writings, his ability to create a climactic event around a crack in a mansion, is impressive. It would be so easy to have students draw or paint a scene from one of Poe’s writings. He describes his settings in such detail, that you almost feel as if you are walking with the main characters through the gloomy scenes. “The Raven” has such a natural rhythm, whenever you read it aloud, that it makes it helpful in teaching students about meter and rhyme. Poe’s use of writing devices makes studying his work, especially for middle and high school students, ideal. The bonus of using Poe is his dark subject matter that he writes about. I do believe students appreciate being given something to read that is about a person going insane, or committing murder. It’s a nice change from the majority of the edited, or mild or “safe” content that students are given. I know my middle school students appreciate when I use Poe to teach narrative or poetic techniques.

            As mentioned previously, I am a fan of Poe. Every time I re-read one of his stories or poems, I end up noticing something I did not when I previously read his writing. “The Fall of The House of Usher” and “The Tell Tale Heart” both have such climactic endings, that I tend to focus and remember the most details from the end of those stories. I never paid much attenti0n to the build-up of the crack in the mansion, but it is a vital part of the story. I guess, as I become a proficient reader, and better at analyzing his work, I find I appreciate his creativity even more.